This invention relates to the field of electronics. More particularly, a system and methods are provided for automatically charging or recharging an electric vehicle.
Electric vehicles (EVs) include vehicles that are purely electrically powered, as well as true hybrids and plug-in hybrids that may be powered at different times by electrically driven motors and by traditional internal combustion engines. EVs are increasingly popular for a variety of reasons, including environmental considerations, prices that continue to decrease as the vehicles become more popular, ranges that are ever increasing, and so on.
However, even as EVs become more and more prevalent, one problem remains—that of charging the vehicles. Because some or all of the electrical power consumed by the vehicles must be stored on-board, the batteries or fuel cells that provide the electricity must be periodically recharged. This is true even for vehicles that are capable of generating limited amounts of electrical power during operation—such as when a hybrid's internal combustion engine is running and/or when energy generated by the application of a vehicle's brakes is captured.
Currently, an operator of an electric vehicle must park in proximity to a charging station and manually couple some form of charging cable to the vehicle. The configuration of the charging equipment varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and depends on whether the charger operates conductively or inductively, but in all cases manual coupling is required.
Unfortunately, a vehicle may need to be recharged after or before virtually every use. Thus, an operator must manually couple and decouple the charging cable every time she wishes to use the vehicle. If she forgets to couple the charging cable, or couples it in a manner that prevents optimal charging, she may be unable to use the vehicle or it may have insufficient charge to accommodate the full length of a desired trip.
Although the novelty of having to “plug-in” one's vehicle may currently be sufficient to spark a reminder and motivate one to recharge a vehicle, over time the level of inconvenience one endures in having to continually perform this activity may make it onerous.
Manual recharging also raises safety concerns. For example, when it is raining, a vehicle operator may be apprehensive about manually connecting a charger, especially a conductive one that has exposed electrical conductors. She may also prefer to avoid getting wet, and/or may wish to avoid handling a dirty charging cable/adapter and soiling her hands or clothes.
Another problem arises if the operator parks too far from the charging station, or in an awkward position. In such circumstances, the charging cable may not reach the vehicle or its charging port. In this case the operator must reposition the vehicle; this may become frustrating during inclement weather or if it occurs frequently. Yet further, depending on the location and configuration of the charging station, and the operator's physical condition (e.g., if he or she is handicapped), manually coupling the charging cable to the vehicle may be difficult or even impossible.